Multicolor printing machine



y 1946- A. M. ZUCKERMAN MULTICOLOR PRINTING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 [N VEN TOR.

Filed June 30, 1943 OAVI II g OU GU h O A TTOR FY 1946. A. M. ZUCKERMAN 2, 400,966

MULTICOLOR PRINTING MACHINE Filed June 30, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 y 1946. A. M. ZUCKERMAN 2,400,966

MUL'I'ICOLOR PRINTING MACHINE Filed June 30, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ITbENTOR.

ATTORNEY Patented May 28, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MULTICOLOR PRINTING MACHINE Application J one 30, 1943, Serial No. 492,924

3 Claims.

This invention relates to printing machines, and more particularly to rotary perfecting multi-color printing machines in which accurate impression register is required.

In modern high speed rotary perfecting multicolor presses for producing high grade printing in which accurate printing register is required, such as magazine work, it is desirable that the printing and other units of the machine be so constructed, arranged and located with respect to each other as to produce the best results while occupying a minimum of space. To produce the required results, the web should be dried between each printing impression and the freshly printed side or surface of the web should not be engaged by any component of the machine until the web is passed through a drying device to thereby prevent smutting" of the web. The quality of the printing may be further improved by drying the web by heating and cooling the web after each impression, and arranging the components of the machine so that the freshly printed surface of the web is not engaged by a roller or other component of the machine until the web has been heated and cooled, or at least partially cooled.

It is well known in the printing art that smutting, due to the freshly printed ink engaging a roller, turner bar or other component of the machine, is one of the obstacles that has obviated the attainment of greater printing speeds in magazine presses, and it is only in recent years that steps have been taken to overcome this. The web leads or arrangements disclosed in recent patents accomplish this result, but so far as applicant knows, no multi-unit arrangement, such as that disclosed herein, has been heretofore provided to heat and cool the web after each impression before its freshly printed surface engages a component of the machine, to provide positive web control, relatively short web leads between successive printing impressions, and to also afford convenient access to the operable and manipulative components of the machine.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a multi-unit rotary multi-color perfecting printing machine in which the freshly printed web is dried by heating and cooling it immediately following the printing of each impression without the freshly printed surface of the web engaging any instrumentality of the printing machine until the ink is suificiently dried.

An additional object of this invention is to provide a multl-unit rotary multi-color perfecting printing machine in which the freshly printed web is dried by heating and cooling it between successive printing impressions prior to its freshly printed surface engaging any instrumentality of the machine, and in which the units are so constructed, arranged and located as to insure positive web control and convenient accessibility to the units of the printing machine.

Another object of this invention is to provide a multi-unit rotary multi-color perfecting printing machine in which the web is dried by heating and cooling it immediately following the printing of each impression, and in which the printing units and machine components are so constructed and arranged and also so located with respect to each other as to form a web loop of substantially closed formation.

A further object of this invention is to provide a, multi-unit rotary multi-color perfecting printing machine in which the web is dried by heating and cooling it immediately following the printing of each impression, and in which the printing units and guide components are so constructed and arranged and also so located with respect to each other that they form a web loop, and components of the machine being located within the loop.

A more specific object of this invention is to provide a multi-unit rotary multi-color perfecting printing machine in which the web is dried by heating and cooling it. immediately following the printing of each impression, and in which the printing units and guide components are so constructed and arranged and also so located with respect to each other as to produce web loops of substantially closed formation with the certain component of the machine being located within each loop, and the impression cylinders of each printing unit being located within the loop and positioned with their axes in parallelism.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a multi-unit rotary perfecting multi-color printing machine of generally improved construction, whereby the device will be simple, durable and inexpensive in construction, as well as convenient. practical, serviceable and efflcient in its use.

With the foregoing and other objects in view. which will appear as th description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that various changes in form, proportion, and minor details of construction may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any advantages of the invention.

For a complete disclosure of the invention, a detail description of it will now be given in connection with the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the specification, wherein- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation depicting the improved multi-unit rotary web perfecting multi-color printing machine.

Figure 2 is a fragmental diagrammatic plan view of the reversing turner bars, the view bein seen in the direction of arrow 2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary diagrammatic side elevation depicting a modified arrangement of the invention.

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic end view thereof, the view being seen in the direction of arrow i of Figure 3, and

Figure 5 is an enlarged diagrammatic side elevation depicting the first group .of printing units.

Referring to the drawings, in Which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts, l indicates the supporting frame for the various components and printing units of the printing machine, and portions of this frame have been omitted to better illustrate the invention. Conventional web supply or feed rolls ll are rotatably supported from the machine, in conformity with the usual practice, and a web W is led from a roller ll through a tension control device l2 of conventional construction, and through feed rollers l3 of any preferred construction and under guide rollers l to the first printing unit ii of the machine.

Each printing unit of the machine includes an impression cylinder l1 and a cooperating plate or form cylinder IE to which ink is supplied from an inking mechanism. The inking mechanism may be of any preferred construction, and, in the resent instance, there is depicted a fountain roller 26, ductor roller 2|, ink cylinders 22, ink distributing rollers 23, transfer rollers 25, and form rollers 26. It is to be understood, of course, that the inking mechanism here depicted is typical of a number of preferred constructions that may be employed within the scope of this invention, but the disclosed arrangement has been found highly satisfactory in magazine printing.

The web W is led from the first printing unit l6, around a guide roller 21, through a heating unit 28, around a guide roller 29, and then around a pair of suitable cooling rollers 30. The heating unit is preferably of the gas fuel type in which the temperature adjacent the web is raised sufficiently to vaporize the ink solvent and this vapor is ignited by the gas flame from gas burners of the type disclosed in U. S. Patents Nos. 2,042,432 and 2,129,277. Although the employment of this type of heating unit is preferred.

any conventional heating unit which raises the temperature of the web sufliciently to dry the freshly printed web will suffice for the purpose of this invention.

From the cooling rollers 30 the web is led around guide roller 3! to another printing unit lid, similar to the unit l8, where a second impression is printed on the same or obverse side of the web. After the web passes between the impression cylinder l1 and form cylinder ll of the unit lfia, it is led around a guide roller 33 and through another heating unit 28a. After the web passes through the heating unit 28a it is guided around a guide roller 35 to and around another pair of cooling rollers 30a, and then around guide rollers 35 and between the impression and form cylinders l1 and IB of a third printing unit lib. From this point the web is led around a guide roller 38 through a third heating unit 28?), and then around a guide roller 40 to and around a third pair of cooling rollers 30!). After passing around the cooling rollers 30b, the web is led around a guide roller 4| and between the impression and form cylinders II and I8 of a fourth printing unit "to. From this point the web is led under guide rollers 43, through a fourth heating unit 28c, and then around a guide roller 45 to and around a fourth pair of cooling rollers 30c. After the web passes the cooling rollers 300, it is led around a guide roller 46, and then over a conventional turner bar 41, as best indicated in Figure 2. around a guide roller 48, over another conventional turner bar 50 to thereby reverse the web in conformity with the usual practice.

With this arrangement, the web is led through the four printing units and the four heaters, and around the guide rollers and cooling rollers to form a web loop, and the heating unit 280, cooling rollers 30c, and the web reversing components are all located within the web loop. Figure l of the drawings shows the first and second printing units It and 16a respectively, mounted with unit lid in superposed relation to unit it and with their impression cylinders I! located adjacent a vertical plane. The third and fourth printing units I81) and I50 are likewise mounted with unit lie in superposed relation to unit 18b and with their impression cylinders located adiacent a second vertical plane.

The reversed web is then led from the turner bar Bll around and past guide rollers 5| and in aligned relation to the web of the loop, to a printing unit lid, similar to the unit Ii. This unit forms the first of a group of units for printing on the reverse side of the web to thereby perfect it. After the web passes between the impression and form cylinders l1 and i8 of the first perfecting unit Hid, it is led by guide rollers, similar to those hereinbefore disclosed, through a heating unit 28d, around cooling rollers 30b, between the impression and form cylinders l1 and I8 of a second perfecting unit lBe, through a heating unit 28c, around cooling rollers We, between the impression and form cylinders 11 and I8 of a third perfecting unit lfif. through a heating unit 28), around cooling rollers 30}, between the impression and form cylinders l1 and 18 of a fourth perfecting unit lBg, through a heatin unit 28g, and around cooling rollers 30g.

After the web is cooled by the rollers 309, it is led around and past guide rollers 52, to a webpropelling roller 53 which may be engaged by a slitter disk 55 to thereby slit the web into a number of ribbons, and then the web or ribbons are led to a conventional magazine folder 56, which is. located in line with the printing units, where the webs are folded into the desired product in conformity with the usual practice which is well understood by those skilled in the art, consequently the folder is merely indicated in diagrammatic form in this application.

By this arrangement, the web is first led from the supply roll ll, through four printing units and four heaters, and around four sets of cooling rollers, in such manner that the web is led clockwise in the same sense through the printing units and heaters to form a first loop. The printing units [6, I611, 16b and, lie, through which the web W is led to form the first loop, print on the first or obverse side of the web, and the units lid, lBe, l8! and IE9, through which the web is run to form the second loop, print on the reverse side of the web to thereby perfect the web in multi-color. The final heating unit 28c of the first web loop is located within the loop. together with the cooling rollers 30c and the disclosed conventional web reversing mechanism, and the final heating unit 289' of the second web loop is located Withinthe loop. together with its cooling rollers 30g.

The printing units and web d y ponents are located in such relation to each other that immediately the web receives each printing impression it is heated and cooled and then run directly to the next printing unit, which arrangement insures relatively short web leads between adjacent printing units for printing on the same side of the web, thereb insuring accurate registration of the superimposed impressions.

In Figures 3 and 4, a slightly modified form of my invention is disclosedin which the folder 56a is located directly opposite, or to one side of, the final heating unit 289, as best seen in Figure 4. In this arrangement,after the web has passed around the final cooling rollers 30g, it is led around a guide roller 46a and over a turner bar "I. From the turner her no the Web is led around guide rollers 51 to the folder 560. which is similar to folder 5!, where the product is formed, as hereinbefore disclosed.

This modified arrangement of the invention is advantageously employed in printing plants where there s not sui'licient longitudinal floor space to accommodate the first disclosed form of the invention.

It will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the -spirit or essential attributes thereof, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and it will be further understood that each and every novel feature and combination present in or possessed by the mechanism herein disclosed forms a part of the invention included in this application,

What is claimed as new and useful is:

1. In a multi-color web printing machine, a plurality of printing units, web-guide rollers and web-cooling rollers constructed and arranged to guide and support a web in loop formation and to print a plurality of impressions on one side of the web, eachprinting unit including a form Cylinder and an impression cylinder, a cooling roller being operably located between the first and second units or each pair of operably adjacent printing units, and a heating chamber operably located between the first unit and the cooling roller of each pair or cperably adjacent units, whereby the web of the loop in running from the first unit to the second unit of each pair 0! operably adjacent printing units passes through a heating chamber and around a cooling roller before the printed surface of the web engages a guide roller, an additional printing unit outside the loop, means to reverse the web entirely within the loop, and meansto guide the reversed web from within the loop to the said additional unit.

2. In a multi-color Web printing machine, first and second printing groups, each printing group including a plurality of printing units, web-guide rollers and web-cooling rollers constructed and arranged to guide and support a web in loop formation and to print a plurality of impressions on one side of the Web, each printing unit including a form cylinder and an impression cylinder, a cooling roller being operably located between the first and second units oi each pair of opcrably adjacent printing units, a heating chamber operabiy located between the first unit and the cooling roller of each pair of operably adjacent units, whereby the web of the loop in running from the first unit to the second unit of each pair of operably adjacent printing units passes through a heating chamber and around a cooling roller before the printed surface of the web engages a guide roller, means to reverse the Web entirely within the first loop, and guide roll ers to guide the reversed web from within the first loop to the second loop whereby a plurality of impressions are printed on the reverse side of the web.

3. In a multi-color web printing machine, first and second printing groups, each printing group including a plurality of printing units, web-guide rollers and web-cooling rollers constructed and arranged to guide and support a web in loop formation and to print a plurality of impressions on one side of the web, each printing unit including a form cylinder and an impression cylinder, a cooling roller being operably located between the first and second units of each pair of operably adjacent printing units, a heating chamber operably located between the first unit and the cooling roller of each pair of operably adjacent units, whereby the web of the loop in running from the first unit to the second unit of each pair or operably adjacent printing units passes through a heating chamber and around a cooling roller before the printed surface of the web engages a guide roller, means to reverse the web entirely within the first loop, guide rollers to guide the reversed web from within the first loop to the second loop whereby a pluralit of impressions are printed on the reverse side of the web, and means to guide the web from the second loop to a location outside the loop.

ADOLPH M; ZUCKERMAN. 

